Women's Track & Field

Corsairs Perform Well at LEC/Alliance Championships

GORHAM, ME-The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's track and field teams performed well at the Little East Conference and New England Alliance Championships at the USM Field House Saturday.

The men finished second in the six-team LEC competition with 127 points, while the women were third in the six-team LEC meet with 83 points. Southern Maine won both meets, scoring 210 points in the men's competition and 212 in the women's. Keene State was second in the women's meet with 104 points, while Eastern Connecticut State was third in the men's competition with 85 points. In the New England Alliance competition, the men were third of 11 teams with 94 points, while the women were fifth of 11 with 71.5 points. Southern Maine took both the men's and women's competition with 171 and 54 points, respectively.

The Corsairs had 11 conference champions, seven on the women's side and four on the men's. Sophomore Patience Noah (Framingham, MA/Keefe Tech) took the triple jump with a leap of 34 feet, seven inches, junior Jermai Harrison (Brockton, MA/Brockton HS) won both the LEC and Alliance shot put with a toss of 39 feet, 11 ¼ inches, freshman Jillian Van Ness (Agawam, MA/Agawam HS) won the 55 meter dash in 7.76 seconds, freshman Kim Urena (Marlborough, MA/Marlborough HS) took the 600 meter LEC and Alliance competition in a school record time of 1:38.78, junior Linee Mello-Frost (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford HS) placed first in both the LEC and Alliance 55 meter hurdles in 8.76 seconds, sophomore Megan Oliveira (Somerset, MA/Somerset HS) won at 1000 meters in 3:10.92, and the 4 x 800 meter relay team of sophomore Caitlin McGarigal (Shrewsbury, MA/Amherst-Pelham Regional HS), sophomore Stacey Dybel (Littleton, MA/Notre Dame HS), sophomore Megan Bohigian (Barre, MA/Quabbin Regional HS) and Oliveira finished first in 10:43.92.

McGarigal also finished second at 3000 meters in 10:52.80, and sophomore Brittany Cole (Dartmouth, MA/Dartmouth HS) was second in the shot put at 36 feet, 4 ¾ inches. Van Ness was fifth at 200 meters in 28.07 seconds, Bohigian was fifth at 1000 meters in 3:22.59, freshman Meredith Drake (South Deerfield, MA/Frontier Regional HS) tied for sixth in the pole vault with a school record of eight feet, and the 4 x 200 meter relay team of Van Ness, Urena, junior Briley Morrill (Whitman, MA/Whitman-Hanson Regional HS) and freshman Jamie Zizza (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS) was fourth in 1:57.77.

For the men, conference champions included freshman Kaylin Miranda (Brighton, MA/O'Bryant HS), who won both the LEC and Alliance championships in the long jump at 22 feet, 2 ¼ inches, junior Kevin Markie (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro HS/Nichols), who placed first at 45 feet, two inches, sophomore Robert Yarbough (Fall River, MA/Durfee HS), who won both the LEC and Alliance competition in the shot put with a personal best throw of 47 feet, five inches, and junior Eric Nygaard (Medway, MA/Medway HS), who won the mile in 4:24.52, which was the fourth fastest time at UMass Dartmouth.

Yarbough was second in the 35 pound weight throw at 50 feet, 4 ¾ inches, while sophomore Hymlaire Lamisere (Newton, MA/Newton North HS/Iona) was third in both the long jump (20-7 ¾) and the 55 meter dash (6.63 seconds, the third fastest time at UMD), senior Matt Lemanski (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow HS) was third at 1000 meters in 2:39.67 and Nygaard was fourth in 2:44.37, and senior Corey Sleep (Fall River, MA/Durfee HS) was fourth in the triple jump at 42-0 while junior Jeff Beal (Townsend, MA/North Middlesex HS) was sixth at 40-9 ½. In the 55 meter hurdles, junior Nick Deininger (North Attleboro, MA/North Attleboro HS) was second in eight seconds, the fifth fastest time at UMass Dartmouth, junior James Morgan (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham HS/Assumption) was fourth in 8.31 seconds, junior Marcus Williams (Worcester, MA/Doherty HS) was fifth in 8.41 seconds, and Beal sixth in 8.46. Brendon Wilson was fourth at 55 meters in 6.73 seconds, while freshman Darius Smith (Plympton, MA/Silver Lake HS) was fourth at 200 meters in 23.42 seconds. In the mile, junior Steve Burke (Norwell, MA/Norwell HS) was second in 4:24.80, the fifth fastest time at UMD. The 4 x 400 meter relay team of Smith, Miranda, freshman Jesse Perrin (Somerset, MA/Somerset HS) and junior Brian Hopkins (Mendon, MA/Nipmuc Regional HS) was third in 3:35.50, while the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Burke, senior Tim Whelan (Abington, MA/Abington HS), Gilmore and Lemanski was second in 8:17.41.

"This is the most pleased I've been since I've been here," said UMass Dartmouth Head Coach Steve Gardiner, "Both the men and the women made progress by moving up in the conference and the alliance from last year, and more than half of our team has qualified for the Division III New England Championships. Both teams showed a lot of heart, a lot of commitment, and a lot of enthusiasm for the meet."

The Corsairs will return to action when they travel to the New England Division III Championships next Saturday.